Park of Mount Subasio

The Park of Mount Subasio is formed by the mountain system of the same name that delimits towards north-east and dominates the Valle Umbra from its 1290 m of height.

The Subasio is the 'Monte de Assisio' because Assisi and its mountain live a sort of symbiosis lasting since antiquity. The entire historical centre of Assisi lies within the Park.

The town has been built with the rose rocks of its mountain and during centuries derived all its resources from there: building material, wood and pasture products, determinating this way the geomorphological and vegetational aspect of the Subasio.

The vegetation of the slopes of the Subasio is divided into three belts: the lowest is characterised by olive-tree cultivation which extends from Spello to Assisi on one side and from Costa di Trex to Armenzano and San Giovanni on the other side.

The intermediate wood vegetation comprehends Turkey oak, minor oak, hornbeam, flowering ash, maple, beech and ilex; the third belt is formed by pastures up to the level top which shows evident Karst phaenomena and which contrasts with the steep slopes of the eastern side.

Although hunting and shooting is banned since decades the fauna is rather poor: from time to time the wolf is signaled and until the ‘60ies there were nestings of the royal eagle and the quail. The actual conduction of the mountain favours the new colonisation of the gray partridge, the wild cat, the squirrel, the woodpigeon, the magpie, the jay, the hedgehog, the badger, the fox, the weasel, the beech-marten and the wild boar. Among the birds of prey, specially on the eastern side, are present the buzzard, the goshawk and the horned owl.

The roads crossing the Park are essentially those which link the historic centres of Assisi, Spello, Nocera Umbra and Valtopina with the minor settlements on the mountain.

Leaving Assisi from Porta Perlici first on the SS. 444 Assisana, then turning to the right, you get to the Park’s headquarter at Ca’ Piombino, continuing you climb up to Costa di Trex from where you reach Spello via Armenzano, a perfectly round fortified settlement, San Giovanni and the fortified village Collepino, from where you may get back to Assisi on the summit road which links Spello to Assisi on an ancient track.

This wonderful panoramic road leads the tourist to the Sanctuary of Madonna della Spella near Spello and to the Eremo delle Carceri, the Abbazia di San Benedetto and the summit meadows “degli Stazzi” on the Assisi side.

Along the road you will find the Mortaro Grande and the Mortaro Piccolo, dry dolinas near to the top, which in the past centuries have been used for the production of ice by pressing the snow which thus lasted until summer.

Besides these car-roads there are a lot of trekking and horse-tracks departing from the villages of Costa di Trex, Armenzano, San Giovanni and Collepino, and leading as well to the summit meadows.